Long Lost Hope and New Found Feelings
by Kawaii Reira
Summary: Seto's forced 2 tag along w/the monthly CEO get2gethers at random bars,1 night he's forced onstage w/a stripper who turns out 2 b Joey.What will Seto do w/this bit of knowledge?Will love blossom or will they forever remain rivals? Better descript inside.
1. Chapter 1: Discovery

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or it's characters, all rights belong to Kazuki Takahashi of course^^

**Full Description:** Seto Kaiba, cold and ruthless, but seems to be unable to escape the clutches of peer pressure to join his fellow CEO's when they hold "meetings" once a month at bars. During one particular night, the CEO's decide to help Kaiba release stress by arranging for him to be onstage and get a special performance by a stripper who turns out to be Joey Wheeler. What will come of this encounter? What will Kaiba do with this new found knowledge? Will love blossom?

**Extra Input:** Don't worry, I generally don't like adding my own little ramblings to my chapters so I'm going to get the majority of what I have to say out right now in the beginning and get it out of the way. (though I may add little comments at the bottom of future chapters that you're welcome to just ignore)  
Ok, first thing's first: My intention is keeping this a Seto/Joey fanfic but this is my very first time writing Seto/Joey (generally I write Seto/Marik) I know I'm not an amazingly spectacular writer but I think my writing ability should be tolerable enough to be enjoyable and without too many grammatical errors. Still, critics are welcome, but please give constructive criticism and don't be rude.

**Reviews** are welcome and encouraged. I would like to say every time I get 2-3 reviews I'll post a new chapter but I honestly don't know if I'd be able to keep that up, heehee. But still, getting reviews Will keep me motivated to keep up writing this fanfic and posting new chapters.

**Warning:** It is rated **M **for a reason, this is **Yaoi** (guy on guy) and my writing can get down and dirty or I guess 'smutty' would be the coined term. Though I add mentionings of sexual stuff rather early on, you'll have to be patient and read on to get to the smut/sex cuz I like to really build up to it and have story rather then just mindless smut.

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_Ring. Ring. Riiing._

Seto Kaiba let out a soft yet agitated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyebrows furrowing down, like he had the beginnings of a migraine settling in. Having an troubling premonition that he knew exactly who was on the other line and exactly what they wanted, those piecing cerulean orbs of his glared daggers at the phone sitting atop his desk as if his glare would make the ringing stop.

_Ring. Ring. Riiing. _

No. Such. Luck. With a growl, his hand shot out and he answered the damn phone.

"Kaiba speaking," the brunette snapped briefly, deciding at the last second not to just snap his usual "What?"

"Ah Seto Kaiba, charming as ever I see," Akisato Musashi purred, the most recent influential CEO in Japan, greeted in return from the other line, his tone as thick as honey. A voice which never failed to set Kaiba's nerves on edge. As far as the brunette was concerned, Akisato could be Pegasus' long lost brother with how similar their mannerisms were.

"What is it you called for?" Kaiba questioned curtly, cutting right to the chase as always.

"It's that time again, lovely Kaiba-sama. Time for us to go out and have a meeting at a new bar we discovered the other day. It's so great, it has-"

"Alright, give me the time and location and I'll be there," Kaiba snapped as he cut off the incessant ramblings of Akisato. He knew from previous experiences that he wouldn't be able to get out of joining the other CEO's on their monthly little "meetings" that were actually more like simply hanging out and getting drunk. He also knew from past conversations just how much Akisato loved to prattle on and on.

Akisato quickly related the time and location of the club and managed to get in a "Can't wait to see you tonight Kaiba-sa-" before the brunette quickly hung up on him. With a chuckle, Akisato mused on how fun that night was going to be.

Within a few hours since receiving that phone call from Akisato Musashi, Kaiba had completed his homework and a good portion of his work for the day from his office then headed home to get ready.

Upon shutting and locking the door behind him once the brunette was home, Kaiba was greeted by the sight of his little brother coming towards him from the living-room with a radiant smile plastered on his features.

"Seto, welcome home! How was your day?" Mokuba asked as he embraced his older brother around the waist and smiled wider when Seto returned the hug.

"Day was fine until Musashi called and told me we have a meeting tonight," Kaiba all but grumbled, a side he only revealed to his little brother on occasion.

"Oh fun, I know how much you love going to those meetings," Mokuba said sarcastically but the look in those big amethyst eyes as they gazed up at his brother was full of sympathy. "Wish you didn't have to go to those meetings. Then maybe we could spend some time together," he added quietly and was soothed by his brother's soft smile.

"I know Moky, I wish I didn't have to go either but then I would never hear the end of it. I'll make sure to take you out sometime this weekend and we can hang out then, alright?" Seto asked with another warm little smile and watched as Moky nodded excitedly. With that, Kaiba ate a quick snack with Mokuba while listening to what his little brother's day was like at school, then excused himself so he could take a shower and get ready.

An hour later, Kaiba was cleaned up and perfectly disguised like he always did every time he was coerced into frequenting bars once a month with the other CEO's. He didn't give a damn if the others didn't care about their reputations, but he desired to uphold his own rep with the utmost care. The brunette's rep already labeled him as a 'ruthless asshole', he didn't want to add 'drunken pervert' to that title.

Sporting a short black wig and green contacts, Kaiba wore his usual black leather pants and a short sleeved black shirt to match. Though during these bar meetings, the brunette avoided wearing any coats or jackets despite how naked it made him feel, since one of his big trademarks was his jackets. Gathering what he wanted to take with him for the night, Kaiba made his way downstairs and was once again greeted by Mokuba, who most likely wanted to see him out.

"Looking quite dashing Seto, the look really suits you," Moky complimented with a big smile. "I know you wouldn't get drunk, but you should try to cut loose every once in awhile and mingle. With your disguise it's not like anyone will recognize who you are, you could even have fun and pretend to be someone you're not for a night," Mokuba suggested brightly, obviously thinking his idea was brilliant.

"It is a good idea Mokuba, but there's one flaw and that's that there is going to be people there who I know, the CEO's. But even if I was to go out bar hopping by myself, I still don't think I can push back my pride and act like someone I'm not," Kaiba replied after thinking upon it momentarily.

Mokuba let out a little laugh. "So true. Well, at least try to have a little fun Seto. I'll be asleep by the time you get home but if anything happens and you need to talk about it, just wake me up, ok big brother?" Mokuba said intently as he peered up and met the brunette's eyes.

"Alright, Moky. Sweet dreams and I will see you in the morning," Seto agreed with a little smile and headed out the door.

"Stay safe, bro!" Moky called as he waved Seto off, watching the brunette get into his care and drive off.

Carefully following the directions that he received from Akisato, it wasn't long until Kaiba pulled into an area in downtown Domino, an area that was dangerously close to the Red Light District. '_What am I getting myself into_?' Seto mentally chided himself as he got out and locked his car. Walking a few blocks into an even more risqué section of town, Kaiba finally located the name of the establishment that he was meeting everyone in and a deep frown settled across his features. It was more then just a bar, it was a ….. strip club.

Just as Seto Kaiba was turning around to leave, he bumped into Akisato, who wrapped an arm around his shoulders with a wide smile and dragged him into the club. There was no escaping this time around. As the brunette was led through the writhing crowd on the dance floor and to the booth near the far left side of the stage where all the other CEO's were seated, Kaiba silently swore that he was going to invest in new disguises so that even these guys he was trapped with wouldn't be able to recognize him so easily. '_Or here's an idea. Why don't I grow a pair and get them off my back for good about not dragging me along to these supposed meetings and wasting my time._'

Once they arrived to the group's table, Kaiba shrugged out of Akisato's clutches and sat down on his own accord at the end of the table, glowering at everyone with his icy stare of hatred.

"Come on, Kaiba-san, don't be like that. We do this for your own good! What better way to discuss business together than at such a glorious entertainment establishment where we can have a nice drink and blow off some steam," one of the members stated and gulped down the rest of the alcoholic contents of his glass before ordering another round.

"Which from how grumpy you've been lately, more so then usual anyways, I'd say you could blow off a lot of steam," another chimed in and the group laughed. All of them seemed to find this situation humorous except Seto Kaiba. Honestly, he wanted to turn tail and run but his pride wouldn't allow that, so the brunette stayed but refused to eat or drink anything.

Kaiba managed to get some coherent business talk from the group of already seriously tipsy CEO's but quickly gave up after the random case of ADD everyone seemed to develop when they had alcohol in their systems. So there Seto Kaiba continued to soberly sit and seethe, that is…until his growing sense of impending doom had finally arrived.

Kaiba remembered vaguely hearing the club's DJ announce that it was time for the show to begin and that's when Akisato and another CEO pounced on him, blind-folding him and tying his hands behind his back before the brunette even knew what was happening to him.

"You are going to be one of the stars of the show up onstage, Kaiba-sama. Beforehand we arranged it all with the club manager. We all agree that you need to blow off some steam and we're all kind enough to arrange it for you. All you need to do is sit there and go with the flow," Akisato purred into Kaiba's ear and then they led him up onstage and sat him down in a chair where they proceeded to tie his already tied wrists to the chair so he wouldn't be able to get up and walk away.

'_I am going to fucking murder these bastards_,' Kaiba growled mentally as he listened to them abandon him blindfolded and tied up onstage. The unfortunate CEO had no idea what was going to happen to him but he was fearing the worst, his breathing already speeding up to just about match the thrum of the melodic music that started to fill the club. Kaiba hated not being able to see what was happening but he had a feeling that the stripper had made his appearance onstage by the uproar the crowd made, all that hooting and clapping. Trying not to be overly obvious about his actions, Kaiba started attempting to free his wrists from their bonds but it seemed futile.

As Kaiba sat there, he felt the stripper's presence. He felt the heat of the person's body and heard the clinks from the outfit; the light steps of dancing and the other's breathing. It was getting hard to hear anything past the thumping music and his own pulse beating wildly in his chest. Even though the brunette knew it was coming, Kaiba still jumped when he felt the stripper touch him. Normally, he would snap at anyone who dared to touch him without permission but at the moment the brunette couldn't seem to find his voice. As the stripper proceeded to straddle his legs and dance against him, Kaiba's breathing sped up even more to where it seemed like he would hyperventilate.

How was he supposed to be enjoying this? If it wasn't for his pride, Kaiba might even admit to himself that it was…fear that he was feeling at the moment.

Seeming to realize that his customer was so panicked that he couldn't enjoy what was happening to him, the stripper took off the blindfold. The first thing Kaiba saw when the blindfold dropped was familiar warm, brown eyes then the familiar blond, messy hair. Cerulean eyes widened in shock as he realized the person grinding in his lap was none other then the mutt. Joey fucking Wheeler was a stripper. Kaiba was frozen in shock as he took in the sight before him. Wheeler had his hair brushed down and unstyled so unless you were as close to the blond as Kaiba currently was, you wouldn't really be able to tell exactly that it was Joey Wheeler.

Somewhere during the time that Kaiba was still blindfolded, Joey had taken off his shirt so as he danced in front of the brunette CEO, Kaiba could see every muscle ripple under Wheeler's tanned, taut skin. The way his stomach circled around and the way his hips undulated seemed to effect the brunette in a weird way. Kaiba felt his body start to heat up as he watched the mutt dance as if in heat. As Wheeler grinded down against Kaiba's crotch, the brunette took notice of how tight his pants felt and apparently Joey took notice as well, for he smirked and a lustful look entered those brown eyes.

As if the world narrowed down to just the two of them, feeling like they were alone in a bedroom and not in a club with people screaming in excitement, Joey took it to a level he almost never did with customers onstage. Continuing to grind his body to the beat, Joey stared down at Kaiba like he wanted to jump his bones right then and there, he sensually ran his hands along Kaiba's chest. Smiling as he felt just how rapid the brunette's pulse was, Joey scraped his nails over Kaiba's nipples and took pleasure in seeing the guy arch and let out a breathy gasp. Leaning forward Joey whispered into the brunette's ears so sensually, "You have quite a sensitive body, don't you?" then chuckled as he saw pink tint the cheeks of the person beneath him.

The screaming of the crowd's excitement became so loud that it seemed to snap Joey back to his senses and he got back to his strip show, still doing a lot of dancing and grinding against Kaiba but not as much touching. Finally, what seemed like an eternity, the song ended. As the curtains closed, Kaiba watched as Wheeler walked over to him and freed his wrists from the chair.

"Sorry about what happened onstage, I got a bit carried away," Joey said, scratching the back of his head and letting out a little nervous laugh.

"Don't worry about it," Kaiba said quietly, changing his voice slightly so Wheeler wouldn't recognize who he was. That was the last thing he wanted to happen after everything that went on tonight. So, without another word, Kaiba turned and started to head towards the exit.

"W-wait!" he heard Wheeler exclaim before a hand wrapped around his wrist and stopped him.

Kaiba turned around, forcing himself to slowly take his wrist back instead of yank it away like he instinctively wanted to do. "What is it?"

"D-do you think…..can I…can I maybe have your number?" Joey asked awkwardly, cheeks flushing a bright pink in embarrassment.

Kaiba thought about how he should respond before finally deciding on what he wanted to say. "I will come back to this club if I want to see you again."

And with that, Kaiba left out the back exit of the club, that way he could avoid the drunken bastards who dragged him into this whole mess, and headed back to his car. Trying his hardest to keep his mind blank for the while, Seto Kaiba started the car and drove straight home.

Later that night, Seto Kaiba lay wide awake in bed while staring up at the ceiling; deep in thought when he should have been focusing on trying to get to sleep since he had school early tomorrow. But how could he possibly fall asleep when his mind was still on overload from everything he'd just witnessed? Kaiba had soon come to realize that he had a few imposing things he needed to analyze about himself as well.

First off was the question he had as to why Wheeler had become a stripper. Was he that pressed for money? Had something bad happened to him recently? Did his friends know? Hmph. The brunette could probably answer that last question on his own with almost absolute certainty. Kaiba bet Wheeler was keeping it a secret so his friends wouldn't worry about him, because there was nothing they could do to help the mutt even if they Did know. Not that he cared about any of this, Kaiba was just merely curious as to why Joey was a stripper. Did Joey do more than just strip if the customer was willing to pay?

With that last question the brunette had thought of, images rushed unbidden through his mind of himself paying for Joey's services and it reminded him of just how painfully aroused his body still remained. Which brought him around to what he needed to analyze about himself. The first matter was the question about his sexuality: was he gay? And the second question was if he was attracted to the mangy blond. As much as he tried to rationalize it or to ignore it, his own body made it painfully obvious that whether he was gay or not…he held some sort of attraction for Joey. Even after finally admitting that fact to himself, the brunette was far from willing to admit it out loud or to anyone else, Especially to the blond in question.

Thinking that he would finally be able to get some sleep after calming his mind enough, Kaiba continued to toss and turn in bed for about twenty more minutes until he growled in agitation and he resigned to his fate. The brunette found it was impossible to ignore such a raging hard on and sleep. Letting out another irritated growl, Kaiba decided to take care of his problem in the shower, consciously giving himself permission to let his mind run wild just this once.

Thirty minutes later Kaiba was back in bed and finally starting to drift into slumber land. His last thoughts were along the lines of how good it felt to give into his desires but it was going to make his confrontation with Joey Wheeler all the more awkward tomorrow.

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**Hope you enjoyed this chapter :) **


	2. Chapter 2: Reflection

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters, all rights belong to Kazuki Takahashi.

**Warning: **Rated M for future Yaoi (guy on guy) and cussing

**Special Thanks: **I wanted to specially thank Remy Nela and YGOfangirl4ever for being the first two to give this story reviews

**Extra Info/Rambling: **I know I said that I wouldn't ramble too much past chapter one but I realized that there was more I wanted to say and didn't want to overload you all with all the ramblings at once.  
So first thing I wanted to address was names. I think the majority of people like to use their Japanese names, so Jonouchi instead of Joey, but I prefer their english names, hope that doesn't bother anyone. Also I've noticed that every single Seto/Jo fanfic I've read is mostly from Joey's POV. But I'll be attempting to almost evenly switch between Seto's POV and Joey's POV, though it may lean more to Kaiba's POV.  
And one last thing I want to mention. It's on how I make Joey talk. For the most part, I don't have him speak in a Brooklyn accent cuz I don't know how to type out accents, so I hope that doesn't bother anyone.

**ALSO Important: **Along with reviews and criticism, I am more than willing to take anyone's suggestions on what they would like me to include in my story. Whether it be something you want to happen between Seto and Joey (ex: getting stuck somewhere together, having to do something together, events or games for them to go to or play) to other couples you want me to add into the story. I could always pair up everyone my own way, but I'd like to take suggestions/requests first ^_^

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Joey's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joey Wheeler arrived home to the dingy apartment he lived in with his drunken father later than usual that night. Fortunately, his father currently was not there, probably still out bar hopping. Releasing a sigh, Joey locked the door behind him then made his way upstairs and down the hall to his bedroom. First thing's first, he needed to take a shower and get that grimy feeling he had washed away.

Once Joey was underneath the hot spray of water, he let his mind wander. The place he had been working at for the past couple of months was called _Krave. _It was a mixed club that served several different functions, almost each night they hosted something different then normal clubs. For instance, on some nights it was for those who were straight while other nights it was for those who were gay. That night had actually been one of the 'straight' nights but something had happened to one of the female strippers and the only one who was available to fill in for her was Joey Wheeler. Luckily, that green eyed hottie had liked it.

'_I will come back to this club if I want to see you again.' _Those words from the stranger played through Joey's mind again and left him feeling confused and slightly frustrated. That raging hard-on the guy was sporting indicated that he had enjoyed the blonds' performance but once the curtains closed and he was released from the chair it was like he couldn't wait to escape from that club. Joey couldn't help but smirk just a little. _'Maybe he'd just realized he was gay.' _But his smirk immediately faded as he seriously thought about that stranger who really didn't feel like a stranger at all to the blond. Perhaps that was also why Joey had tried to pursue this stranger and wanted further contact with him, which he never felt that way towards his clients. There was something about that guy that was very familiar to the blond. Maybe it was that intense gaze of his or the way he spoke, that brief and straight to the point manner. It almost reminded him of…he quickly pushed that idea away with an incredulous laugh. There was no way in a million years that The Seto Kaiba would ever step foot into a strip club.

After Joey thoroughly showered, he slipped on his ruby boxers then went downstairs to grab a small snack to eat before going to bed. Despite how much he tried not to think about it, as Joey quickly ate a bologna sandwich, his mind wandered back to after the strip show. There was another side to _Krave _that not everyone knew about, just the rich and powerful. And the ones who owned and worked at _Krave. _That secret side was that the strippers could be bought out to perform more intimate services if they desired to. Of course, Joey never desired to be a stripper or a prostitute but he needed the money badly enough that he worked as both. As each day passed, Joey felt more dirty and more stressed but he stubbornly refused to tell anyone, especially his friends. He couldn't stand the thought of making them worry about him or pity him. Or even worse, be disgusted and disappointed in him.

That last bite of food was hard to stomach as the blond remembered who he had slept with after the strip show, bile rising to his throat, but he swallowed and fought the urge to throw up. Once he felt his stomach settle down, Joey stood and slowly walked back up the stairs and into his bedroom. Not bothering to turn on the light, he shut his bedroom door and made his way through the dark to his bed. Plopping down under the covers, he settled his head down on the pillow and shut his eyes. Luckily, it wasn't long before sleep claimed him. Joey could finally have some peace without his dirty secrets plaguing his mind, that is…unless the nightmares decided to haunt his dreams like they did most nights. But that was what his life seemed to feel like lately: One giant nightmare.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End of Joey's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Ps. Sorry for the really short chapter. It was kind of like an extension of chapter one but I didn't want to include it in chapter one but also felt like this little section felt more like a stand alone and that I shouldn't add anything more to it. Most chapters won't be this short but not all of them will be super long either, hope you guys won't mind.


	3. Chapter 3: Detention

**Disclaimer:** Yu-Gi-Oh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi

**Warning**: Rated M for yaoi and cursing

**Future Pairings**: Seto/Joey and Bakura/Ryou

**Special Thanks:** YGOfangirl4ever for your continued support and thank you to everyone who has added me to their favorite authors and favorite stories, I am honored *bows*

*****And still taking reader's recommendations on pairings and events they want me to include in this fanfic. This is the last reminder I'm putting in but I will always be open to your thoughts, opinions, and reviews*****

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Waking up bright and early the next morning, like the brunette did every single morning, Kaiba shut off the alarm clock that told him it was 5:30 a.m. The reason why he got up so early was so that he would have at least an hour to get some work done before heading off to school. After quickly taking a shower, getting dressed in his usual outfit, and making a cup of coffee he went upstairs to his home office and began work. Despite trying his best to keep his attention solely on the laptop in front of him, it wasn't long until the brunette's fingers paused mid-type and his mind wandered, once again, back to what had happened last night.

It was at that precise moment that Mokuba wandered in to Seto's office to greet his brother and ask him how last night went. His head tilted to the side, black hair sliding to the right, as he noticed how spaced out his big brother looked sitting there and staring unseeing at the laptop's screen in front of him. Approaching with curious, amethyst eyes, Mokuba came to a stop directly in front of the black work desk and Seto had yet to acknowledge his presence. By this point, Mokuba would have been worried as to exactly what had Seto so out of it, but there was no haunting shadows in those deep blue depths so he knew it wasn't anything from their past. Deciding to wave his small hand in front of his brother's face, Mokuba let out a small giggle as Seto jumped slightly in surprise and snapped out of his thoughts.

"Hey big bro, what had you so deep in thought?" Mokuba questioned curiously, his eyebrow arching up as he could've sworn he saw Seto blush just slightly, but it was gone before he could even be sure it was there to begin with.

"Just thinking about last night I guess," Kaiba admitted to his precious brother, whom he tried his best not to lie or keep anything from, but that didn't mean he was willing to divulge everything that had happened last night.

"Oh? And how was last night? Was it as awful as you thought it would be or were you able to cut loose and have some fun?" Mokuba asked in that calm yet excited tone he sometimes used.

Kaiba couldn't help but smile slightly at Moky's questions. "Last night was scarring but…I suppose it could have been worse," Seto admitted, making sure he was vague on the details.

"As tight lipped as ever," Mokuba muttered with a light sigh. But considering that was probably as best as he was going to get out of his stubborn elder brother, he let the topic drop. "Well, aside from my curiosity about last night, I'm ready to head to school whenever you are, big bro," Mokuba added after a moment, watching as Seto's eyes flicked down to the time displayed on his laptop.

"Alright," Kaiba agreed after realizing that it was 6:30 a.m. The time they always left for school.

The brunette shut off his laptop, packing it away to bring with him, like he did everyday, to school. Quickly grabbing whatever else he needed, Kaiba followed Mokuba outside and to the waiting limo. For most of the ride a companionable silence fell between the two brothers, but Mokuba could never stay quiet for long and would fill the silence with chatter about random things going on at school or with his friends. Not that the elder brother minded, he enjoyed listening to whatever Mokuba had to say…for the most part.

"Have a good day Seto, see ya after school!" Mokuba exclaimed cheerfully with a wave once he was dropped off at his middle school.

"You too, Moky," Seto replied with a little smile before the limo drove off towards Domino High.

As the limo slowed and came to a stop in front of Domino High's school gates, Kaiba realized that the tight feeling in his gut meant that he was nervous to face that mutt. He was still unsure of how he felt about everything, unsure if he wanted to confront Wheeler about it or pretend it never happened. And once he saw that mongrel's face could he even pretend like he didn't know anything? At that thought, Kaiba gave a 'hmph.' If it was one thing he was good at, it was pretending. And all these insecure thoughts were fucking ridiculous and not like him at all. With a frown, Seto Kaiba quickly exited the limo and walked to class without sparing anyone a second glance.

Like usual, Kaiba was one of the first students to arrive and he made his way to the desk he always sat in. The desk in the far back corner, next to a window. He enjoyed where he sat, but overall he despised this class. It was the only class the brunette had all day that contained the complete Yugi gang. Of course, with his horrid luck, Kaiba had at least one member of the Yugi group in each of his classes. But one person he could ignore easily enough. Now the whole group together? That was just annoying as all get out. Now that Kaiba thought about it, he shared not just this class but homeroom with the mutt too. Homeroom. The longest class of the day. If he believed in fate or destiny, he'd have to say that both hate his fucking guts. Or maybe it was all karma's doing.

With a silent huff of indignation at himself, Kaiba shut off that line of thinking for the moment and brought out his laptop to, yet again, get a little work done before class began. And though the brunette refused to think about the reason why, every time he heard the doors open, his cerulean eyes flicked up to see each student who entered the classroom.

As usual, Joey Wheeler was not only the last student to walk into class but he was also ten minutes late. From the corner of his eye, Kaiba watched as the blond quickly looked around the room and also noticed the look that came over Wheeler's face when he realized that today the only seat left available was the one right next to his worst enemy. Sighing, Joey walked over and breathlessly plopped down on the chair next to Kaiba as the teacher began to lecture him about his tardiness and interrupting class.

"Heh heh, my bad, teach. I slept through my alarm clock on accident, I'll try not to let it happen again," Joey stated sheepishly with a dopey grin plastered to his face.

"Yeah? If I recall correctly, that's the excuse you've been using for the past three days, Wheeler. Meet me after school for detention. And you too, Kaiba," Mr. Tanaka stated in a serious tone.

"What?" Kaiba snapped as he shot a narrowed, icy glare at the teacher, feeling a bit confused but careful not to show it.

"I am beyond sick and tired of you being on that laptop every single day and not paying attention during class. You're just as bad as Wheeler in that aspect, I'd almost go as far as to say that you're almost worse than he is. CEO of KaibaCorp or not, when you are in My class, you are to follow My rules and I think I've been far too lenient with the both of you. So meet me after school for detention, be here no later than 3:45 pm. If either of you fail to show up, I will be notifying the principal," Mr. Tanaka informed the two of them sternly before going back to teaching his class.

'_Hope you won't miss your job too much asshole, cuz you will pay dearly for this,' _Kaiba threatened Tanaka mentally as he sent death glares at the teacher's back and also glared at everyone whose eyes were on him until they quickly looked away. Turning off his laptop, he slammed the top shut with a loud thud and took satisfaction in how the teacher slightly flinched.

"Careful, Moneybags, or you're gonna break your precious laptop," Joey suddenly spoke up quietly from beside him. "Though I know you have more then enough money to replace it."

Kaiba turned his head slightly and turned his deadly glare on Wheeler. How dare the teacher have the audacity to clump him in the same category as the lowly mutt. Or dare to think that he was even worse then the blond. The teacher was going to definitely pay big time.

"What's it to you, mutt?" Kaiba demanded.

"Easy there, Kaiba. It ain't my fault the teach gave ya detention as well," Joey replied and turned his attention to the front of the classroom so that Kaiba wouldn't be able to insult him any further.

With an almost inaudible 'hmph' the brunette also, if not reluctantly, turned his attention towards the teacher and the lecture that he already knew everything about.

Lunchtime. Joey's favorite time of day and, in his opinion, the Only good thing about school. As soon as the bell rung to signal the end of homeroom and the beginning of lunch, the blond quickly gathered up his things and practically ran out the doors and down the halls to stand in the already long lunch line. Ordering the B lunch, pizza with fries, Joey grabbed a bottle of water and then headed to the table that he, Yugi, and all their friends always sat at.

Sitting down, Joey was greeted by his friends and he greeted them back with a happy smile. Before, the group consisted of him, Yugi, Tristan, Tea and Ryou. Duke was the next one to join them and then Malik. Then, once the yami's separated from their hikari's, it was Yami, Bakura, and Marik who added to their group. Popping a couple fries into his mouth, Joey looked over at Yugi. As complete as their group was, Yugi still tried countless of times to get that uptight, antisocial jerk to join them. Looking over to the table where Kaiba sometimes sat alone to eat, Joey found that the table was empty. That meant he was probably eating on the school roof or underneath a tree somewhere on school grounds. Not that he was keeping tabs on the brunette or anything.

As if reading his mind, Yugi suddenly looked over at Joey and asked, "How was homeroom today, Jo?"

"Eh. Aside from boring as hell it was rather quiet today," Joey answered as he took a few bites of pizza and then chugged some water.

"Really? Kaiba didn't hassle you today? You're always going on and on about how he bullies you every day in homeroom," Tristan spoke up from beside him, a frown plastered on his face.

"Yeah, I know, but today he's been strangely quiet. After what happened first period it's almost like he's been ignoring me. Not that I'm complainin'. It's been quite nice," Joey said with a wide grin.

Though, for some reason, he realized that wasn't the complete truth. It had always bothered him when Kaiba ignored him. '_I…I don't want to be invisible to that jerk_' the blond thought with a start. But before Joey could dwell too much on why that was, he pushed those thoughts aside and engaged in his friend's conversation again when they started talking about duel monsters.

After lunch, the rest of the school day seemed to fly by without anything of consequence happening and before they knew it, Joey Wheeler and Seto Kaiba were both waiting around in Mr. Tanaka's class for the teacher to show up.

"I can't fucking believe this! That asshole specifically Ordered us to be here by 3:45 pm. It's now 3:50 pm and he himself is no where to be found!" Joey growled in an outrage, pacing around the room like a monkey.

Kaiba smirked. "So the mutt knows how to tell time and states the obvious."

"Ah, shove it, Moneybags! And enough wit' the mutt crap," Joey snapped as he whirled around to heatedly glare at Kaiba.

"Maybe if you didn't speak like a lowly street mongrel," Kaiba replied coolly.

"Screw you!"

"You wish."

"Ye- wah? N-no!" Joey stuttered, face turning a little red in embarrassment.

Kaiba's smirk widened and he actually let out a little laugh at that, but before Joey could reply or question that reaction, Mr. Tanaka chose that moment to rush into the classroom.

"Ahem! Sorry I'm late, had a few questions to answer from students who actually care about learning what I teach, now-"

"Do you always talk like you're a teenage girl on her period?" Kaiba interrupted suddenly, arms crossed over his chest as he watched Mr. Tanaka. No smirk on his face like when he was teasing Joey earlier, now he just looked irritated.

Joey burst out laughing at what Kaiba said with such a serious tone, he just found it hilarious for some reason and he also felt that it was true.

"I was going to go a little easy on you two today, out of the kindness of my heart, but I think I just changed my mind. I want the two of you to clean both of the bathrooms in this area. Any more complaints and I will add to what you have to do," Mr. Tanaka stated angrily and gave them both a stern glare as if daring them to complain some more.

When both teens remained sullenly silent, Mr. Tanaka lead the way to the janitor's closet and handed them all the cleaning supplies they would need to clean the bathrooms. Imparting them with one last stern warning, the teacher left them to go do what was expected of them.

Joey felt the need to continue glaring after the asshole teacher, but when Kaiba picked up his share of cleaning supplies and started making his way towards the nearest bathroom, the blond quickly grabbed the rest of the supplies and hurried to follow Kaiba.

Once they were both inside the first bathroom, the men's room , Kaiba put his supplies down.

"Don't ya dare say that I have to do all the cleaning," Joey spoke up suddenly as he watched the brunette wearily, who turned to glare at him in return.

"I was thinking about it earlier, but since he won't let us go home until both bathrooms are cleaned I'll be working as well since I don't want to be stuck here all night," Kaiba replied in a matter of fact tone.

"Gee, thanks," Joey muttered unenthusiastically.

"You clean the toilets and I'll clean the sinks and mirrors," Kaiba went on to say, pretending Joey never spoke.

"Ugh…how did I know that's what you were gonna make me do. God forbid you dirty your rich little hands," Joey grumbled as he grabbed the Comet and a scrub brush for the toilets.

"They're already sullied," Kaiba muttered under his breath without thinking.

"Huh?" Joey looked over at Kaiba with a questioning gaze.

"Nothing, pup," Kaiba quickly said and turned away as he began the task of spraying the mirrors with Windex then wiping them clean.

Joey's eyebrows rose in surprise when Kaiba called him 'pup' instead of 'mutt.' If the blond didn't know any better then he'd dare to think that the way Kaiba called him 'Pup' made it sound like a pet name. Shaking his head, Joey decided to drop the topic and began cleaning the toilets. When he came to one of the urinals, he noticed some graffiti on the walls that he never noticed before. Aside from the comments about poop, piss and other profanities that men liked to talk about, there was a few that caught his eye.

One said _'Seto Kaiba is a fag' _and the other said '_Seto Kaiba should just die._' The graffiti was so similar that it could've been written by the same person.

"Someone in this school certainly hates your guts," Joey spoke up, glancing over at Kaiba in time to see him visibly tense.

By this time, Kaiba had moved on to cleaning the sinks so Joey couldn't tell what kind of expression the brunette was making and he was quiet for so long that Joey thought he wasn't even going to answer but then he spoke up.

"Like you?" Kaiba asked, voice emotionless, and he didn't turn around to look at Wheeler.

He knew what had caused Joey to say that, he has read that particular graffiti before because he noticed his name on the wall. Kaiba had no idea who wrote it because so many people hated him, but he didn't care at all. What surprised him was that he kind of cared if Wheeler hated him or not. Which was ridiculous because they were enemies, they argued and fought all the time so it would make sense that they hated each other. But after that night at the club, Kaiba realized that he didn't hate Joey and hoped that the blond didn't hate him. Not that he wanted anything to change between them. They way they bickered was normal…comfortable.

"I…I don't think I hate ya, Kaiba. But I certainly don't like ya most of the time. I think you'd be a pretty decent guy if ya weren't such an ass all the time and didn't always call me a mutt," Joey finally answered, still watching Kaiba closely for his response. "I bet you hate me though."

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," Kaiba answered, finally turning around and giving Joey a cruel smirk.

"Hmph. Then maybe I do hate ya as well," Joey snapped as he turned away quickly to try to hide the pained expression but Kaiba had noticed it before Joey looked away from him.

"Good mutt, it's the way it should be," Kaiba replied emotionlessly, trying to ignore the pang of guilt he felt in his gut.

"If that's the way it should be, then why did ya ask in the first place? It made it seem like ya actually care whether I do or don't and it made me happy!" Joey ranted, then his honey brown orbs widened as he realized what he let slip out.

Joey watched as Kaiba's intense blue eyes narrowed in suspicion and he pegged the blond with a cautious glare.

"Why would it make you happy?" Kaiba demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

'_Cuz I like you, ya prick!_' Joey thought in frustration, but didn't dare voice his thoughts, fidgeting nervously under Kaiba's icy glare. "Cuz despite everything…I'd still like to be your friend….Just like Yugi would," Joey said aloud after a moment, looking up and meeting those chilly blues.

"Whatever. I don't need nor want any friends," Kaiba answered, he was aware that he was staring back at Wheeler, but he couldn't seem to turn his eyes away from those fiery browns.

"If that's really the truth then you are a very sad man, Kaiba. Guess the people who say you're like a robot and a machine are right after all. At this rate, you're gonna die alone and I kind of pity ya for that. Don't ya know what it's like to feel loneliness?" Joey asked, as serious and intense as Kaiba's ever seen him.

Suddenly, Kaiba stormed over to Joey. Reaching down, he grabbed Joey by the collar of his jacket and hoisted him up before roughly slamming him back against the wall, hard enough that the blond let out a grunt of pain. Getting in so close to the blonds' face, so close their noses were practically touching, he growled.

"I don't need a mutt's pity. And if you ever talk down to me like that again, I will make you regret the day you were ever born," Kaiba spoke quietly, but the brunette never had to raise his voice to sound so intense and scary.

"I already regret that almost every day of my life," Joey spoke without thinking, immediately cursing himself for his stupidity. Why did he have to go and admit that, to his rival no less?

Joey watched as those blues widened in surprise and the anger seeped out of them. For a moment they just stood there, staring into each other's eyes, Kaiba's eyes so intense as he studied the blond.

"If you're just as sad as you claim I am, then maybe friends aren't everything, huh? Because you have Yugi and the band of geeks there for you every day and you still regret being born. Not very convincing, mutt. Like I said, I don't need anyone other then my brother," Kaiba said quietly and, with that, suddenly released Joey and walked back over to the sinks to finish cleaning them.

Despite how much he seemed to be so uncaring, Kaiba did wonder why Wheeler said he regretted being born. The blond always seemed so happy, feisty and full of life.

'_I'll have to keep a close eye on him to see if something is seriously wrong. Not that I care, just simple curiosity_,' Kaiba thought, not even sure he believed his own denial.

The two teens continued cleaning the entire bathroom in silence. Now that they weren't talking, they got the cleaning done a lot quicker and walked over to the women's bathroom. Sticking with the routine they've fallen into, Joey began on cleaning the toilets and Kaiba started on the windows. Though the silence didn't last much longer as Joey started complaining.

"Man, the women's toilets are a lot dirtier then the men's and they leave such big messes all over the place. Even worse, you're apparently extremely popular with the ladies, Kaiba. Your name is all over the walls. 'Kaiba is so sexy.' 'Kaiba is my boyfriend.' 'I want to suck Kaiba's di….'" Joey's complaining came to an abrupt stop and his face turned bright red in embarrassment.

"Wow, Wheeler, I'm shocked. First you admit you want to fuck me then you say you want to suck me?" Kaiba asked with an amused smirk, watching Joey and enjoying the sight of the blushing puppy.

"No! The first was a slip up 'cuz ya caught me off guard and the second was 'cuz I was readin' what a girl wrote about ya!" Joey exclaimed with an even redder face, completely flustered.

"Sounds like excuses to me," Kaiba retorted with a quiet little chuckle.

"You're an ass!" Joey yelled, turning his back to Kaiba to hide his heated face, trying to calm himself and stop blushing.

Kaiba remained quiet this time, resisting the urge to tease the blond even further and watched as the flustered teen wordlessly went back to cleaning the toilets.

'_Speaking of asses, Joey's isn't that bad to look at_. _Wait, what the hell did I just think? And why the hell am I still staring?_' Kaiba forced himself to turn away, feeling his own cheeks heat up slightly but he quickly stopped himself and went back to cleaning the sinks. But despite trying to clean to distract himself, the brunette's mind wandered back to when he watched Joey strip for him. Kaiba had liked it and found the blond attractive. Now, apparently, he found the blond attractive even when he wasn't stripping. But that didn't mean he still didn't find Wheeler annoying and easy to argue with and tease.

With both teens minds preoccupied, they were able to finish cleaning the women's bathroom even more quickly and efficiently then the men's room. Leaning against the brooms handle after he'd swept and mopped, Joey let out a relieved sigh.

"Finally done! Now let's find that Tanakass and get the heck outa here," Joey said and smirked when he saw Kaiba smirk at his comment.

Grabbing all the cleaning supplies, the teens made their way back to the janitor's closet and stored them away before making their way back to the classroom where Mr. Tanaka was waiting.

"About time boys, never thought you two were going to finish cleaning. Now take a seat while I go inspect your work," Mr. Tanaka said and left the room to go do just that.

"What are we, five years old or somethin'? Has to inspect are work…I'd like nothing more than to punch his lights out," Joey complained as they sat down to wait.

"For once I agree," was all Kaiba said, sitting back in his seat as he thought about something.

Joey was about to ask what was on the CEO's mind when Mr. Tanaka returned.

"Alright, you guys can go, your work was satisfactory. But the next time I give either one of you detention, it'll be more unpleasant then just making you clean bathrooms, so you better start paying attention to my class," Mr. Tanaka warned.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll keep that in mind, Teach," Joey replied like he didn't really care and Kaiba just nodded.

On the way down the hall, Kaiba pulled out his cell phone and called his chauffeur to let him know that he needed to be picked up now. Hanging up, he looked over at Joey as they walked. Once outside, Joey turned around and shot Kaiba a grin.

"Well, I'll be on my way now. See ya tomorrow, Kaiba," the blond said and started walking off, thinking how it would probably be dark out before he reached his apartment.

"Wait, Wheeler!" Seto called out after hesitating for a moment.

Joey turned around and shot Kaiba an inquisitive look. "What is it?"

"Want a ride home?" Kaiba asked, just loud enough to be heard, eyes unreadable as always.

Joey thought about it for a second and then gave Kaiba an appreciative grin. "Yeah, I would be grateful for a ride," he replied and walked back over to stand beside the brunette.

Together, they stood in almost companionable silence until Kaiba's limo pulled up and the chauffeur got out and walked around to hold the door open for them. Kaiba smoothly got in first and with slight hesitation, Joey followed in after.

At first, it felt a little awkward sitting right next to Kaiba in his fancy limo, but then the blond was soon distracted by being in a limousine for the first time. Smiling wide in awe, Joey looked all around at the limo's interior and began excitedly playing with all the buttons and watching what they did with sparkling brown eyes.

Kaiba silently watched Joey with an amused smirk. "Keep that up and you're going to wear out the gears," Kaiba spoke up after awhile.

Joey blushed slightly and stopped playing with the buttons, nervously sitting back in the seat.

"Now, directions to your house may be useful," Kaiba added and relayed the directions to his limo driver once Joey told him where he lived.

Once again, another fairly comfortable silence fell between them as they headed towards Joey's house, both looking out the window and away from each other. Kaiba had a feeling they were getting close to where Joey lived because the neighborhood started looking like the ghetto. Kaiba also noticed that the closer they got, the more tense and nervous Joey seemed to become. He almost wanted to spare the blond from the street dog comments but that wouldn't be like him at all to not say something about where Joey lived.

"Very suitable for a mutt," Kaiba said, watching Joey closely for his reaction.

"Shut up, Kaiba, what the fuck do you know about me anyways?" Joey exploded, glaring heatedly up at Kaiba, his cheeks flushing from the shame and rage he suddenly felt.

"More than you think I know," Kaiba replied, which surprised and confused the hell out of the blond.

"Wha-what does that mean?" Joey demanded, peering intensely into those unreadable blues as if trying to pull out the answers he was seeking.

"We're here, mutt. So tuck your tail between your legs and run home," Kaiba warned coolly, obviously not going to answer Joey's question.

"Why are ya such a fucking asshole? Ya know, I may not hate you now…but keep this shit up and I will end up hating you, Kaiba," Joey said, so angry his voice actually trembled ever so slightly.

Kaiba watched as Joey snatched up his school bag and stormed out of the limo and up to the apartment he lived in. Letting out a sigh, the brunette rested his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. The mutt strips for him once and now, all of a sudden, he finds that it's hard to treat him like the enemy. He wasn't used to feeling guilty for being the asshole that he was and he didn't like the feeling. Didn't like that hurt look he put in his pup's eyes. Kaiba frowned Wait…his? Wheeler was Not his pup.

As his driver took him straight to KaibaCorp, like always, Kaiba tried to organize his thoughts and feelings about Joey Wheeler. It was a hard task these days to Not think about the blond duelist. He was even starting to fall slightly behind in his work. Trying to think of a solution, one finally came to mind. It may have not been the smartest decision, by all means, but it was one that Kaiba deemed necessary to at least calm his curiosity.

Tonight, Kaiba would once again wear his disguise and go back to _Krave _to find out more about what Joey did at that club aside from strip.

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed this** **chapter :) **

One thing I was unsure of is how I make Joey switch between 'ya' and 'you' is that alright or is it annoying? Let me know what you think ^_~


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